Create the Need

John Patterson, known as the father of American salesmanship, is responsible for many of the modern sales practices used today. His work with the National Cash Register Company (NCR) changed the way salespeople think about marketing and selling their products. In his book entitled The Patterson Principles of Selling, modern sales expert Jeffrey Gitomer unpacks some of Patterson's most powerful tactics.

Patterson's greatest sales accomplishment didn't lie in selling cash registers, but in creating a demand for his product. He knew that sparking a desire would increase demand, and he focused his sales and marketing efforts on convincing consumers of the importance of obtaining a sales receipt. When consumers began to ask for a receipt from store clerks, the store managers felt obligated to purchase a cash register that would produce such receipts, and Patterson was poised to sell them one of his machines.

The same can be done in your business. Gitomer says in his book, "You must create a balance between the emotion to trigger the sale, and the logic to justify the purchase." What is one thing your company could do to create a demand for your products or services?

People don't like to be sold, but they love to buy," Jeffrey Gitomer likes to say. And he's been saying it for years. When Gitomer began his research for this book, he discovered a quote by John Patterson, founder of National Cash Register, that was amazingly similar-"If the prospect understood the proposition, he would not have to be sold; he would come to buy." After discovering the similarities in their philosophies, Gitomer developed 32.5 principles of selling based on Patterson's ideas. These principles capture the essence of what Patterson preached 100 years ago, with twenty-first-century adaptations and concepts for implementing his sales strategies.

Each principle includes a quote from Patterson, one quote from Gitomer, and an occasional quote from another relevant person. Icons after each principle help readers understand how to think about the concept and adapt it to their needs, and how to turn that concept into action. The Patterson Principles of Selling are easily understood and just as applicable today as they were when Patterson developed them to sell cash registers. They offer a proven, commonsense approach to the sales process that will give salespeople the key to success today, tomorrow, and forever.